Tenants Worry About Upkeep

A Plan To Transfer Public Housing Units To State Control Prompted A Staff Cut, And As A Result Some Maintenance Requests Have Gone Unmet.

January 21, 2004|By JOANN KLIMKIEWICZ; Courant Staff Writer

NEW BRITAIN — The pending turnover of 850 units of public housing from city to state control -- coupled with last year's reduction of housing authority maintenance staff -- has tenants worried about upkeep of the aging buildings.

Several residents in the Corbin Heights complex in the city's northwest said Tuesday that some calls for maintenance have not been returned.

Service seems slower, they said.

One tenant, who would only identify himself as Dave, said Tuesday the apartment he and his girlfriend share has mold growth. He said they called the authority about six times in as many months to remedy the problem, and nothing's been done.

``We're trying to move out,'' he said. Paul Vayer, New Britain Housing Authority executive director, wasn't surprised to hear residents say service has been affected. The cash-strapped authority cut its staff in half last year, once it appeared it would transfer the units of state-subsidized, moderate-income housing to the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. Until the transfer is completed, Vayer said, the city authority is responsible for upkeep.

``So we're still handling 100 percent of the property with about 50 percent of the staff,'' he said.

David Stowe, a staff attorney with Connecticut Legal Services, said Tuesday that many tenants do not understand the effect of the ownership change, approved Dec. 17 by the city housing authority.

``My greatest concern is that the residents' needs and their rights as tenants to maintenance ... are respected and complied with and that those services are in fact rendered,'' said Stowe.

Vayer said the authority has notified tenants about the status of the CHFA agreement. Some notices were even hand-delivered, he said.

The authority had been looking for ways to free itself of the housing units. After months of negotiation, the authority's board felt it could begin the transition.

Jose Rodriguez, who has lived in the Corbin Heights complex for about four years with his wife and two children, said he hasn't had any major service problems as a result of the approaching transition. He said there have been minor things: He's had to shovel the walkways that once were cleared by workers, for example.

``But I know they're short-staffed, and it's hard for them,'' he said.

In recent weeks, Vayer said, workers have responded to calls about frozen pipes and heating troubles, doing the best they could.

``I can tell you, there hasn't been a lack of calls, that's for sure. Maybe a lack of manpower, but not a lack of calls,'' he said.

The CHFA board agreed to accept the transfer of three of the four complexes, but has not taken title to any. CHFA first wants to settle some questions it has about the fourth complex -- Pinnacle Heights.

The city plans to use the 66 acres in that mostly-vacant complex for business development, once the buildings are razed. The CHFA board met Tuesday with Mayor Timothy Stewart and city housing officials for updates.

Carol DeRosa, a CHFA spokeswoman, said she could not give details about what concerns remain at Pinnacle, where buildings are nearly 80 percent vacant.

She said the CHFA board authorized its executive director to continue talks with the city and return for a Jan. 28 meeting. The transfer is not at a standstill, she said.